Page 30

“Mr. Courtland is planning to make an announcement to the entire company later this week, after the new plan for 2025 is nailed down.”
“Mn. Good. Good. I know a lot of people are worried.”
Another long pause.
“Were…you…there?” she inquired haltingly.
“Yes. I handed out the due diligence report.”
Justine squealed and jumped to my desk, her bracelets clacking together. She rested her elbows on the corner of my desk and put her chin in her hands. “Tell me, was it glorious? Did they lose their minds? Was the CEO really shouting for Sebastian to be arrested?”
I tried to hold in my smile as I gave her the tiniest nod possible.
Justine’s laugh would have put to shame a Disney villain in its evilness. “I knew we should have sneaked one of those micro cameras on you. I would have paid half a year’s salary to see that debacle unfold.”
“Ridiculous,” I muttered even as my smile sneaked out. Justine was too fun.
“I take it that this is the beginning of the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ push,” she stated as she straightened and tilted her head toward Sebastian’s office. “We need one big best seller to carry us through the year.”
“Do you mind if I ask—is that a normal operating procedure for companies of our size?”
She nodded immediately. “Some stodgy conservative firms who can’t bang out new ideas will begin with cutting costs, layoffs, and hiring freezes, but Courtland is nimble despite its size, and we have a long history of exciting new products and innovations. It’s our bread and butter.”
“But isn’t it risky? To have everything riding on a single product launch?”
Justine shrugged, sending her earrings swinging. “It is to a degree, but in Courtland’s history, we’ve had only two products bomb and since then, we’ve implemented more focus groups, reviews, and quality controls. The more likely thing is for a product to do well, but not be the best seller we hoped.”
“Sorry. I don’t mean to pry.”
She immediately waved off my apology. “It’s not prying. These are excellent questions. Sharing knowledge makes the whole team stronger.”
Someone clearing their throat jerked our attention to Sebastian’s office. The boss was standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face.
“If you’re done flirting with my assistant, I’m ready to start our meeting,” he drawled.
Justine snorted and strolled into his office. “You should count yourself lucky I’ve never tried to steal that brilliant man from you.”
Sebastian paused to stare at me before closing his doors. “Never,” he growled.
My heart fluttered at that growl, but a little knot tightened in my stomach. That was the grand plan, right? He’d win me over, thanks to this dating bargain, and I’d get moved to another department so we could date without me losing my job.
I shoved the thought aside. Sebastian was being silly. My brain returned to what Justine had told me about new products and the nugget of an idea that was forming in my mind. It could be something. Something that could be big, but I needed more research and numbers to help me.
10
SEBASTIAN COURTLAND
“You’re fucking him,aren’t you?”
Declan had to ask that just as I was taking a drink of whiskey. The amber liquid burned the back of my throat and sinus cavity as I choked. I put down the glass with a loudthunkand picked up my water as I wheezed and coughed. Tears clogged my eyes, and I was pretty sure I’d lost nose hair.
“What the hell?” I rasped at Declan as he sat opposite me in the restaurant, looking unperturbed by his blatant attempt to kill me.
“I’m just saying that you’re being more obvious than usual if I’ve caught on that things have changed between you,” Declan continued. Having been my friend since high school, you would have thought he could show at least a modicum of concern for my well-being, but that wasn’t his style. The icy blond giant frowned at me like a snowman missing his top hat.
After clearing my throat for a second time and taking a cleansing sip of water, I reclined in my chair. “Fucking? No.” My voice still sounded like a seventy-year-old pack-a-day smoker, but it was improving.
Declan’s frown deepened, and he continued to stare wordlessly at me.